What a terrific comeback by the Giants who become the first team in the National League to win the NLDS after losing the first 2-games of the series…not to mention, doing so in this one-year format where they had to play the last 3-games on the road. Outstanding.

Buster Posey’s fifth-inning grand slam made the difference as part of a 6-run inning against Reds starter Matt Latos. Cincinnati had plenty of chances, including having the game-tying runs at the plate in four consecutive innings. It was too little, too late from the Reds who could never finish off the Giants after leaving the bay up 2-0.

“The Reds did not lose this series, the Giants won it.” -Ron Darling TBS

BOT 9 – Giants win 6-4

Put the champagne on ice in the visitor’s locker room.

Three outs left for the Reds…Giants three outs away from the NLCS…are there any postseason dramatics left after last night?

Sergio Romo stays in the game to face the top of the Reds’ order: Phillips, Cozart & Votto…

Phillips pops out to 1B…Cozart draws a walk to keep things interesting…Votto singles t RF, his second hit of the game…AND FOR THE FOURTH CONSECUTIVE INNING THE REDS HAVE TYING RUN AT THE PLATE…here’s Ludwick who’s already homered this afternoon…

LUDWICK DELIVERS AN RBI SINGLE TO LF…Giants lead 6-4…two on, one-out…(wow!)…now Jay Bruce with the tying runs on base…Romo ahead in the count 1-2…(Scott Rolen on deck)…Bruce, meanwhile, has fouled off four pitches…and he fouls another one off…and Bruce spoils another Romo pitch!…1-2 count…and again, Bruce fouls another pitch back…and Posey calls timeout and visits Romo on the mound…the pitch…ball outside, 2-2 count…Bruce fouls off yet another pitch, what a battle between these two…2-2 count…and now it goes full 3-2…

Bruce flies out to LF on the 12th pitch of the at-bat…Romo at 30-pitches…Rolen representing the Reds’ last out…runners on first & second, two-outs…Giants a strike away from the NLCS…Romo ahead of Rolen 1-2…Rolen strikes out. Game over.

TOP 9 – Giants led 6-3

I’ve had the Reds as my World Series champions since this past spring…it’s not that I can’t believe they’re on the brink of playoff elimination, but rather the fact they’re down to its final three outs after leading the series 2-0 having won the first 2-games on the road…unbelievable.

Cuban Missile Aroldis Chapman on for Dusty’s Reds…Crawford leads the inning off with a single to RF…now it’s Xavier Nady who entered the game as part of a double-switch in the eight, he’s playing LF and batting in the ninth spot…Nady pops out to 2B…Pagan pops out to 2B…Scutaro battles for 9-pitches before flying out to CF…inning over.

BOT 8 – Giants lead 6-3

The Nationals (98 wins), Reds (97), A’s (94) and Orioles (93) all won more than 90 games after finishing the 2011 season with a sub-.500 record…this is the first time in Major League history that 4 teams won at least 90 games after finishing the previous campaign with a losing record…however, the Nats, Reds, A’s & O’s could all be eliminated by the end of the day.

5-6-7 due up for Cincinnati…Bruce, Rolen, Hanigan…southpaw Javier Lopez does come into the game taking over for Affeldt…Reds down to its last 6 outs…make it last five outs…Bruce grounds out easily to 1B…pitching change…RHP Santiago Casilla on to face Rolen…

Rolen quickly falls behind 0-2 taking 2 fastballs on the black outside…Rolen fights back, however, flaring a base hit to right center field…one on, one-out…Hanigan hits a hard line drive to SS, but Crawford lays out for a diving catch, Web Gem…one on, two down…and Dusty goes to Todd Frazier (a Rookie of the Year candidate) to pinch-hit for CF Drew Stubbs…

If Frazier gets on base the Reds will again this game bring the tying run to the plate…Frazier behind 1-2 in the count…a single to CF for Frazier…and for the third-straight inning Cincinnati brings the game-tying run to the plate…it appears Bochy wants to make a double-switch…

RHP Sergio Romo will face pinch-hitter Dioner Navarro (Broxton) with two runners on and two-outs…Romo gets ahead early 0-2…Navarro hits a soft liner to CF, but Pagan makes a sensational sliding catch to end the inning and the threat…Reds now three outs away from the end of its season…the never say Giants may have just clinched its place in the NLCS…one more inning to go.

The Giants have posted a (7-17) record in elimination games in franchise history…2 of those 7 wins have come in Games 3 and 4 of this NLDS at Cincinnati…and another looks to be promising with the G-Man leading by 3-runs here in the 8th…

Jonathan Broxton on to pitch for Sean Marshall…Posey (1-4, 4 RBI) flies out to RF…Hunter Pence follows with a hit down the RF line…but he smartly won’t challenge Bruce’s arm and holds at first…one on, one-out…here’s Belt 0-for-3, 3-K…including having struck out in his last 6 at-bats…Pence, meanwhile, steals second base…Belt grounds to 2B…Phillips Web Gem to get the runner by a step at first, Pence to 3B…two down, runner on third…(LHP Javey Lopez warming in Giants’ bullpen)…Blanco lines out sharply to CF…inning over.

BOT 7 – Giants lead 6-3

Dusty Baker is the third manager to oppose in a Postseason series a franchise he previously led to the World Series (Giants 2002)…Joe McCarthy managed the
Yankees to sweeps of the Cubs in the 1932 and 1938 Fall Classics, and Billy Martin’s A’s were swept by the Yankees in the 1981 ALCS (Elias).

Xavier Paul will pinch-hit for Marshall to lead off the inning against Giants’ right-hander George Kontos…Bruce Bochy decides to play the matchups and brings in lefty Jeremy Affeldt…it’s now lefty on lefty (Paul vs. Affeldt)…

Bochy’s move pays off against Paul: strikeout swinging…one down…back to the top of the order with Brandon Phillips…Brandon (2-for-4, 2 RBI) singles to RF…one on, one-out…if Cozart gets on base Votto will represent the tying run at the plate…not to be…Cozart flies out to deep CF…here’s Votto…he hits a chopper up the middle for a base hit…Phillips at 2nd, Votto on 1st…two-outs and Ludwick is the tying run with the Reds trailing 6-3…

This could very well be the Reds’ last chance to get back in the game…and save its season…Affeldt coming right after Ludwick…it’s a 1-2 count…Ludwick swinging for the fences, has fouled off three pitches…make it four straight pitches…now a full count 3-2…Ludwick grounds back to the box…inning over…Reds season over?

TOP 7 – Giants Lead 6-3

Marshall stays in game for his second inning of work…it’s the top of the order due up for Giants…Pagan pops up to Marshall…Scutaro grounds out to 2B…The Panda pops out to SS…it’s a 5-pitch inning for Marshall who’s sat down 6 in-a-row…Reds running out of at-bats as we’ve come to the stretch.

BOT 6 – Giants lead 6-3

Reds best wake up the bats…they’re at risk of becoming the first team ever to lose a 2-3 format in the playoff after winning the first 2-games on the road.

Since the Division Series began in 1995 teams having won the first 2-games advance 90-percent of the time…including all 21 contest in the National League.

Ludwick, Bruce & Rolen due up…Matt Cain at 70-pitches…LUDWICK GET OUTTA TOWN…a solo HR on an 0-2 pitch…a no-doubter to deep LF cutting the Giants’ lead in half…Jay Bruce follows with a walk…one on, no outs…Rolen with a sharply hit single to CF…look out, here’s the tying run at the plate…

two runners on, no outs…here’s Hanigan…terrific 8-pitch at-bat by Hanigan, however, he takes a close strike three call as part of a strike’em out, throw’em out with Bruce being gunned down at 3B by Posey…HUGE, HUGE swing in momentum towards the Giants…this is one play the Reds will look back on should they lose the game…they had Cain on the ropes, who now exits the ballgame with one on, two-outs…

Kontos on in releif of Cain…gets Stubbs on routine groudout to SS…inning over…wow…Reds just wasted its best opportunity to get back in the game.

TOP 6 Giants lead 6-2

Dusty turns to Sean Marshall with the Reds in dire straights…it’s 7-8-9 due up for San Fran…Blanco grounds back to the box…one-out…Crawford down on strikes…two-down…and Cain goes down looking to end the inning.

Huge effort by Marshall to keep Cincy in the game…

BOT 5 – Giants lead 6-2

The largest deficit overcome to win a decisive Game 5 or Game 7 was 4-runs accomplished by the 2003 Red Sox & 1925 Senators.

The Reds need 6-runs just to tie…wow…Matt Cain going strong…starts inning at just 47-pitches and will face 7-8-9 in the order…although, that’s the same way the top half started for Matt Latos…the Reds have just 2 hits (Cozart & Bruce) through 4 innings…and remember, Cain was (0-3, 5.50) vs. Cincinnati this season…

Cain hits Hanigan to start the inning…now working from the stretch…Stubbs (4-for-18) knocks his fourth hit of the series, a single to CF…two on, no outs…Heisey pinch hits for LeCure…pops out to 1B on an uncontroversial infield fly rule…two on…one away…PHILLIPS DOUBLES TO THE GAP IN LF, 2RBI…Hanigan & Stubbs score…one on, one-out…Cozart flies out routinely to CF…two down…Votto grounds out to SS…inning over, but Reds get on the board.

TOP 5 – Giants lead 6-0

Team that scores first in decisive Game 5 or Game 7 is (49-33).

Each team has 1 error: Sandoval (fielding) | Cozart (fielding)

Matt Latos’ day: 4.1 innings, 6-runs, 5-earned…1-walk, 4-K’s

7-8-9 due up for San Fran…Latos starts inning at 54-pitches…Blanco leads off with a single to shallow LF…Latos now working from the stretch…CRAWFORD DRILLS AN RBI TRIPLE DOWN THE RF LINE…Blanco scores easily on the hit, the first of the series for Crawford who was 0-for-10…

Cain grounds back to the box for the first out, stranding Crawford at 3B and one-out…Pagan hits a high-chopper to SS…Cozart wanted to come home on the throw but drops the baseball…E-6…CRAWFORD SCORES…

Latos falls into further trouble walking Scutaro…runners on 2nd & 1st, one-out…Sam LeCure begins warming up in the Reds’ bullpen…Latos now at 71-pitches…The Panda goes the other way with a soft base hit to LF…bases loaded, one-out…and here’s Posey…POSEY CRUSHES A 2-2 PITCH INTO THE UPPER DECK IN LF…GRAND SLAM…break in the action as Latos leaves the game…Sam LeCure on in releif of Latos…Pence grounds out to 2B…two down…Belt strikes out for the third time this afternoon to end the inning.

BOT 4 – No score

Matt Cain through 4 innings: 0-runs, 2-hits…1-walk, 4-K’s

3-4-5 due up for the Reds…Votto strikes out…Ludwick swings at the first pitch and pops out to 1B…Jay Bruce delivers the Reds’ second hit of the game, and first since the first inning, on a smash to RF…however, Rolen grounds out sharply to 3B…the Panda throwing to second base for the force out…inning over.

TOP 4 – No score

Latos retired 10-straight batters before Hunter Pence hit a high-chopping infield single behind the mound with two-outs…but it’s all for not…Brandon Belt strikes out for the second time today ending the inning, which started with The Panda’s grounds out to 1B and then Posey flying out to CF.

The Giants are (1-5) in its previous winner-take-all series…the lone win coming in Game 5 of the 2002 NLDS against Atlanta. The Giants’ last winner-take-all contest was Game 7 of the 2002 World Series against the Angels, a 4-1 loss…Dusty Baker was then the Giants’ manager.

BOT 3 – No score

Cain begins the third having throw 33-pitches, 20 for strikes…Reds go down in order…Latos flies out to deep CF…back at the top of the order…Phillips flies out routinely to RF…Cozart hits a sharp liner to LF, but Blanco comes in to make a nice sliding catch.

TOP 3 – No score

Latos starts inning having thrown 24-pitches, 18 for strikes…The Giants go 1-2-3 for second straight inning…Cain leads off inning going down looking on strikes…Pagan flies out to LF…Scutaro grounds out to 2B.

Matt Cain fires a first pitch strike to Brandon Phillips…Phillips breaks bat flying out to CF, Cozart hits an infield single to SS, Votto walks, Ludwick and Bruce both strikeout.

TOP 1 – No score

Former Reds great George Foster tosses out the ceremonial first pitch…then Matt Latos delivers a first pitch strike to Angel Pagan…Pagan strikes out, Scutaro singles to LF, Panda singles to LF, Posey flies out to shallow CF, Pence strikeouts.